There’s one new lure that lives up to the hype
By Steve Rogers — Into the Outdoors
Each year, dozens of new baits that hit the marketplace. The manufacturers of these baits saturate us with ads, television shows and articles that tout why their particular offering is the best that there has ever been, is and will be. Of course, I try many of these new choices, but most of the time, I revert back to the lures that have worked for me over time. I do believe, however, that I have found one of these new lures that will live up to the hype.
Late last fall, Strike King sent me a huge box full of their newest and hottest lures to try out. Since it was the middle of deer season, though, they just sat until I could get to them. The other day, I broke out some of these new toys and tried fishing them off of my dock to see their action, how they swam and what their potential might be. Since I love to fish topwater lures, I started with their Rage Tail Shad.
I had worked several distributor shows highlighting this line of lures last fall and this one caught my attention on the videos that we were showing. The unique design of the tail looked like it would displace a lot of water and make plenty of racket when retrieved.
I rigged up the pearl white plastic shad on a 3/0 hook. I wanted the lure to run flat like a pancake as opposed to a vertical setup like a fish would normally swim. It looks strange hooked this way, but a topwater lure needs to have some resistance so it stays up on the surface.
I adjusted my reel accordingly since this lure is fairly heavy for its size and whipped a cast far across the water. About two seconds later, I was deeply in love. This soft plastic lure rose to the surface and started to splash, dance and kick its way into my heart.
The secret is the design of the rage tail. It scoops a tremendous amount of water and throws it from side-to-side as you retrieve it. The result is a soft plastic lure that has more vibration, splash and water displacement than a traditional quarter-ounce buzz bait.
This bait can also be skipped and hopped like a soft jerk bait so it is easy to go from a steady buzz bait style retrieve to a fleeing bait fish presentation. It is also extremely weedless, which is always a plus. The last characteristic of this Rage Tail Shad that I like is that the retrieve can be killed, or stopped, and the bait will sink slowly. Many fish, especially smallmouth, will slash and beat a bait fish to death and then devour it once it is severely wounded or dead. This lure gives you the flexibility of either of buzz bait or a soft jerk bait, and the ability to let it sink when attacked.
Of course, there are many different color options available. I personally always fish a topwater that has a white bottom to it. A fish’s belly is white and that is what I am trying to imitate. This makes my color choice simple. The only time I might use a different color is at night or on really cloudy days in which case I’ll use black
I’m sure that many of you out there enjoy fishing topwater lures, and we are quickly approaching warm summer evenings that are just perfect for such a technique. This lure will give you more flexibility in where you fish and the type of retrieves that you can utilize. There are many local retailers that carry this line of products, and of course it is available at all your favorite online and catalog stores. Enjoy your summer fishing adventures, and make sure to send in those photos of all the big ones.
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